Mythical islands are legendary landmasses that appear in the world’s myths, folklore, and speculative geography, from Atlantis and Avalon to Hy-Brasil and Thule. Below is a list of the most famous mythical islands, followed by the stories, origins, and cultural contexts that make them enduring.
What Makes an Island “Mythical”?
A mythical island is a landmass that is described in traditional stories, ancient texts, or medieval maps but has never been definitively located or proven to exist. Some were believed to be real for centuries and appeared on navigational charts; others were purely allegorical, representing paradise, the afterlife, or a testing ground for heroes. The category includes islands that were later identified with real places (like Thule, possibly Norway or Iceland) and those that remain entirely unlocated (like Atlantis).
The Classic Mythical Islands
- Atlantis – First described by Plato in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias (c. 360 BCE) as a powerful naval empire that sank “in a single day and night of misfortune” beyond the Pillars of Hercules (Straits of Gibraltar). Plato presented it as a cautionary tale about hubris, not as a geographical claim.
- Avalon – From Arthurian legend, first named by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century Historia Regum Britanniae. It is the island where King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was forged and where Arthur was taken after his final battle. In Welsh tradition it appears as Ynys Afallach, associated with the apple tree and the otherworld.
- Hy-Brasil – A phantom island west of Ireland, shown on maps from the 14th to the 19th centuries. In Irish myth, it was cloaked in mist and appeared only once every seven years. Its name may derive from the Gaelic Uí Breasail, a clan name, not from Brazil.
- Thule – Mentioned by the Greek explorer Pytheas (c. 325 BCE) as a northern land six days’ sail from Britain. Later writers speculated it was Iceland, Norway, or the Shetland Islands. The Roman poet Virgil used “ultima Thule” to mean the edge of the known world.
- Isle of the Blessed – Also called the Fortunate Isles, a paradise in Greek and Roman myth where heroes like Achilles and Cadmus were said to dwell after death. Hesiod (in Works and Days) places it in the Atlantic Ocean, beyond the sunset.
- Lemuria – A hypothetical sunken land in the Indian Ocean, proposed in the 19th century by zoologist Philip Sclater to explain the distribution of lemurs. It was later adopted by occult writers, but it is not an ancient myth.
- Mu – A lost continent in the Pacific, first proposed by British-American writer James Churchward in the 1920s. Like Lemuria, it is a modern invention, not a traditional myth.
- Antillia – A large phantom island on medieval maps, placed west of Portugal and south of the Azores. It was sometimes paired with the island of “Roillo” and may have given its name to the Antilles.
- Brasil (or O’Brasil) – A separate phantom island from Hy-Brasil, appearing on 14th-century maps west of Ireland. It was often shown as circular with a central channel.
- Mayda – A crescent-shaped island on maps of the North Atlantic from the 16th to 19th centuries. Its origin is unknown; some have suggested it was a misreading of a real island or a cartographer’s error.
- Frisland – A phantom island south of Iceland, shown on maps by the Zeno brothers in 1558. It was later revealed to be a fabrication or a misidentification of the Faroe Islands.
- Bermeja – A small island shown on maps of the Gulf of Mexico until the 19th century, when it disappeared from charts. In 2009, the Mexican government searched for it without success, and its existence remains unresolved.
How Myths of Islands Developed
Mythical islands often arose from a mix of real geography, sailors’ tales, and the human desire for paradise. Ancient Greek writers like Homer and Hesiod populated the edges of the known world with islands of wonder: Circe’s island Aeaea, Calypso’s Ogygia, and the island of the Cyclops. Medieval cartographers, working from partial knowledge, filled blank ocean spaces with islands that later proved nonexistent. Some were born from misreadings of real islands: for example, “Frisland” may have been a garbled version of Iceland or the Faroe Islands. Others, like Hy-Brasil, were given a supernatural aura—said to be visible only every seven years—which made them harder to disprove.
How to Choose Which Mythical Islands to Explore
If you are researching mythical islands, consider the following:
- Time period: Ancient Greek myths (Atlantis, Ogygia) differ from medieval European legends (Avalon, Hy-Brasil) and modern inventions (Mu, Lemuria).
- Source type: Literary texts (Plato), folklore (Irish), or cartographic records (Antillia).
- Purpose: Some islands are moral allegories (Atlantis), some are afterlife destinations (Isle of the Blessed), and others are nautical mysteries (Bermeja).
Common Misconceptions
A common misconception is that all mythical islands were believed to be real. In fact, many were understood as symbolic. Plato’s Atlantis was likely a philosophical fiction, not a lost civilization. Similarly, Avalon was never a place on any map; it was a Celtic otherworld. Another misconception is that “Lemuria” and “Mu” are ancient myths—they are 19th- and 20th-century inventions. Also, the “Isle of the Blessed” is not a single island but a concept that appears in Greek and Roman poetry, sometimes pluralized as the Fortunate Isles.
Comparing Mythical Islands Across Cultures
Different cultures developed similar island myths independently. The Greek Isles of the Blessed and the Celtic Avalon both serve as paradises for the worthy dead. The Irish Hy-Brasil and the Japanese Horai (a legendary island of immortals) are both shrouded in mist and rarely seen. The Norse Glasir is a grove of golden trees located in Asgard, not an island, but it parallels the idea of a golden paradise. These parallels suggest a universal human longing for a perfect, unreachable place.
Frequently Asked Questions
Was Atlantis a real island?
No. Atlantis is a fictional island created by Plato for his dialogues. No archaeological evidence has ever been found, and most scholars agree it was an allegory for Athenian ideals and the dangers of imperial overreach.
Where is Avalon?
Avalon is a mythical island from Arthurian legend. It is sometimes identified with Glastonbury in Somerset, England, but the identification dates to the 12th century and is not part of the original myth. In the earliest sources, Avalon is an otherworldly island, not a place on a map.
Why did maps show non-existent islands?
Medieval and Renaissance cartographers relied on a mix of ancient texts, sailors’ reports, and guesswork. They often copied islands from earlier maps without verification. Some phantom islands persisted for centuries because sailors feared to sail into unknown waters, and no one could prove they didn’t exist.
Are there any mythical islands in the Pacific?
Yes, but most are not ancient. The continent of Mu is a modern invention. In Polynesian mythology, there are islands like Hawaiki, the ancestral homeland, which is sometimes described as an island but is not a physical location. In Japanese myth, Horai (or Hōrai) is a legendary island of immortals, similar to the Greek Isles of the Blessed.
What is the difference between a mythical island and a phantom island?
A mythical island is one that appears in stories and legends, like Avalon. A phantom island is one that appeared on maps but was later removed when proven not to exist, like Frisland or Bermeja. Phantom islands are often based on real sightings or misidentifications, while mythical islands are purely symbolic.
Did any mythical islands turn out to be real?
Some islands once considered mythical were later identified with real places. Thule is often linked to Iceland or Norway. The Canary Islands were sometimes called the Fortunate Isles, and they are real. However, no island that was clearly supernatural, like Avalon, has been found.
Related
- Yule Cat in Mythology: Origins and Meaning
- Ajax in Mythology: Two Greek Heroes Explained
- Tantalus in Mythology: Crime and Eternal Punishment
How pages are sourced and corrected: Sources and editorial policy.